Hear in the Gorge

Hear in the Gorge

Stories that will change your Sense of Place

A series of radio-documentary styled podcasts that tell compelling and under-recognized stories of the cultural history and life in the Columbia River Gorge region, home to a landscape that inspires and a community that shares a deep connection to the region and to each other. The Gorge has a rich cultural and natural history so that no matter who you are or where you are in the Gorge, that sense of place is inescapable — especially as you learn more about the region.

These podcasts are audio companions to the acclaimed Gorge Owned (GO!) Sense of Place lecture series, that delve into and reveal stories unique to the Gorge. They highlight archival audio, as well as storytelling from locals and experts, creating gripping and moving nonfiction narratives about the Columbia River Gorge and its heritage.

Series podcasts available now:

Almost Home – share the experience of the region’s Japanese American residents during World War II

Crag Rats – a wrenching rescue story featuring the oldest mountain rescue team in the country

Woody Guthrie – the Socialist songwriter’s month-long Columbia River experience working for the BPA

Coming soon:

Tribal Village Life – explore indigenous life at along the Columbia River and at in-lieu fishing sites

Barlow Road – a deeper reach into places and experiences along the Oregon Trail

Latino heritage – explore Latino life in the agricultural areas in Hood River valley, Mosier, and The Dalles

What is a podcast?

If you’re new to podcasts, think of them as being a radio show on-demand. Most people listen to shows on their mobile phones or computers. The world of podcasts is rich with news, opinions, human interest, creativity and just about any topic you can think of. Anyone and everyone can make a show to express themselves, pursue ideas and teach others—kind of like how the Internet works.

The Stories

“Woody Guthrie and the Columbia River Songs“, the next captivating podcast in the Hear in the Gorge podcast series is now available on all our outlets. This podcast is a remarkable remembrance and celebration of one of America’s best known protest folksingers who went to work for a very short while for the federal government. When Woody toured the Columbia River and the Pacific Northwest he said he “couldn’t believe it, it’s a paradise”, and that inspired him to write 26 songs, that are now considered iconic for the region, in just 30 days.

When folksinger Woody Guthrie strolled into the Bonneville Power Administration in 1941, he played a song or two on his guitar, filled out some paperwork, and was hired by the federal government to write narration songs for BPA movies like “The Columbia“. And then, just as abruptly as it began, this odd-couple story came to an end. The folk singer’s 30 days at BPA is considered one of the single most productive bursts in his fruitful songwriting career. We track down the man who rediscovered this complicated history and get to the heart of what caused the federal government to hire a “scruffy radical folksinger” to write songs about the promise of dams in the Pacific Northwest.

All the compelling podcasts in the Hear in the Gorge series are available NOW on SoundCloud, iTunes, Stitcher, and TuneIn where you can also Subscribe to hear each new podcast as soon as it is released.

In the summer of 2013 a father and son set out on their first camping trip together. They did what millions of people do every year and headed to Mt. Hood. For the 10-year old boy, it was a dream come true and he was prepared, but then the trip took a turn they never saw coming. In this episode we hear from two Crag Rats and the father of the boy, to learn just what happens when things go wrong in the wilderness.

Listen to the Crag Rats podcast (30:28) about the oldest mountain search & rescue team in the country. The 2nd in theHear in the Gorgepodcast series – AVAILABLE HERE

Hear in the Gorge is a new series of radio-documentary styled podcasts that delve into the stories unique to the Gorge. The podcasts highlight archival audio, as well as storytelling from locals and experts, creating gripping and moving nonfiction narratives about the Columbia River Gorge and its heritage.

“Local immigrant story becomes a national narrative” (40:44)

The first Oregonian to ever receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor, was born and raised in Hood River. But the story of Min Yasui really starts with his father, Masuo. It includes FBI spying, unexpected death, the largest mass incarceration in U.S. history, and a small town in Oregon struggling with newfound notoriety. This is an immigrant story turned national narrative, one still relevant more than a century later.

In the summer of 2013 a father and son set out on their first camping trip together. They did what millions of people do every year and headed to Mt. Hood. For the 10-year old boy, it was a dream come true and he was prepared, but then the trip took a turn they never saw coming. In this episode we hear from two Crag Rats and the father of the boy, to learn just what happens when things go wrong in the wilderness.

Just hearing the word home can give people a feeling of warmth, peace, comfort. Maybe you picture your house, the front door, or the garden where you spend your free time. Which makes you wonder why so many tribal members, up and down the Columbia River, choose to live in decrepit trailers with unsanitary conditions, blue tarp walls, and broken windows. In this episode we join a tribal member and visit an in-lieu site to find out why so many persist in calling these places home.

COMING IN EARLY 2018

Subscribe to the entire Hear in the Gorge podcast series

New podcasts in the first series will be released the 3rd Thursday of May, June, July and September. Subscribe now to get them delivered automatically so you can enjoy them immediately.